Gadget Trish: Survival Tips for College

This past May, I became the class of 2010, and I am taking a little downtime before taking the next step – career. College was one of the best experiences I ever had in my life, but there are a few things I wish I knew before attending.  Here are some tips on getting through college.

Building Your Network

In my freshman year, I made the mistake of connecting with the “popular” kids.  Little did I know, they were not focused, cut classes, and in most cases ended up dropping out.  I was placed on academic probation, and left school for a few years before returning back. College is an investment and should not be taken lightly.

It’s okay to interact with everyone, but watch the company that you keep.  Get close to people especially in your major.  Create or join study groups. Get a few numbers with people in your courses just in the event that you have to miss a class and need the notes.  Join clubs, causes, sororities or fraternities to connect with people with common interest and passions.  Avoid lazy people, and surround yourself with students that take their studies serious.  Your GPA is important; it helps with scholarships, good internships, and sometimes jobs. It’s okay to party, but keep your priorities straight – your studies! The workload is heavy and will pile on quickly, so keep your eye on the prize – your degree!

Don’t worry about the Jones

You always come across students that have more money then most and have the ability to spend it effortlessly.  For those fortunate few, God bless, but don’t focus your energy keeping up with them.  College is so different from High School.  It’s not a popularity contest, or a fashion show. Live within your means!  On most campuses, people wear t-shirts, sweats, khakis, and jeans. Save your nice clothes for events, dates, parties, and interviews.

The one thing I wish I didn’t take out was student loans.  If you have to take out a loans, don’t borrow more then you need. You don’t know what the job market will be when you graduate and you are responsible to pay it back. Look for grants, scholarships, and contest in your major. Consider a Junior College for the first few years, and transfer to a Senior College to cut cost.  If you are not a business major, you should consider taking a business, marketing, and an entrepreneur courses as electives.  If you can’t find a job when you graduate, create it.

Freshman Fifteen

Have you ever heard of the “Freshman Fifteen?” If you haven’t it is typical the amount of weight gained within the first year of college.  For me personally I gained 30 pounds in the first year, and additional 20 by the time I graduated.  Then means I gained 50 pounds!!!! On most campuses, fast food restaurants surround you. The prices are alluring especially when you are on a budget, but consider smarter options.  For example, Subway sandwiches have $5.00 footlongs and you can eat one half for lunch and the other half for dinner.  That averages out to $2.50 a meal. 

Consider investing in a stainless steel water bottle to reduce your carbon footprint. Calorie intake from juice and sodas, and overall cost of buying beverages throughout the course of the day add up both around your waist and wallet.  The campus is usually flooded with water fountains, so fill it up! My personal favorite bottle is from Klean Kanteen and it could be purchased from Amazon.com. Buy healthy snacks like nuts, yogurt, and fruits.  These will keep you satisfied longer, and if you have a Target, Walmart, BJ’s, or Costco in your area, buy it in bulk.

Design on a Dime

Shopping for a small room, dorm, or apartment?  If so, it’s wise to be frugal because college is expensive and cutting corners will keep you one step ahead.  My favorite places to shop for cute furniture and knickknacks are Target, IKEA, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, The Container Store, eBay, Thrift Stores, & Urban Outfitters. For my personal space, I centered my design on music.  First off, ask friends and family to see what they are willing to part with; you can save hundreds by doing this. For example, my brother gave me vinyl records, my mother’s old AOL CD disc, my Aunt gave me a TV and my High School BFF gave me VIBE magazines with some of my favorite artist.

On my main wall, my BFF found oversized frames from IKEA and had the idea that of taking the CD’s from AOL to create a record studio look. I used my old Aaliyah calendars and records to fill the space up.  The frames and shelves also came from IKEA for less then $5.00.  The NYTTJA frames are about $1.99 each and come in a few colors, and the shelves were about $3.00 each where I placed my favorite wigs. 

On the second wall, at first I placed posters and records on the wall.  The following year I purchased a frame from Target for about $7.00 each for promotional free posters, and on that same wall designed floating shelves from 45 records for more wigs. In my final year of school I upgraded the space with album frames from Urban Outfitters.  My window treatment was simple blinds from Target with an orange plastic curtain from IKEA, with vinyl records that I cut in half.

The wall with the closet was originally decorated with random pictures on the door and sides, and I placed the records in a square formation on the same wall.  In my final year of college, I upgraded the space by again placing the album frames on the sides of the closet from Urban Outfitters.

When you are decorating your room, get the essentials first like a bed, desk, and storage.  Compare pricing is key to save on these items because they will cost the most, and use coupons and coupon codes to get extra savings. Build your space slowly to avoid going over your budget.  Each semester I focused on a different part of the room until it was complete. Other fundamental items like my desk came from a closeout section from Bed Bath and Beyond for under $50.00, the TV stand came from Kmart for $20.00. My office accessories came from the Container Store from a sale event, and the storage ottoman came from Target.

If you are in a dorm, see what furniture comes in the room already, many dorms come partially furnished. If you are a sharing room with someone, don’t bring things that cannot be replaced. For example, a friend of mine brought her High School yearbook with her with all her friends’ signatures and greetings in it.  Someone borrowed it and she never got it back. Another thing to keep in mind with both dorms and rooms, know the rules.  In some places you can’t paint or put nails in the wall, so get the guidelines before planning your space.  Most websites from the stores mentioned above have Dorm tips my favorites are Target.com, The Container Store, and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Tech talk

A computer is an essential tool for completing college. It will be used for research, presentations, and writing papers.  If purchasing a computer is not in your financial reach, don't panic. Most campuses have computer labs with printers you can utilize for free or a very low fee. Research your campus to see about access. I personally had to use the campus computer lab for my first year; my only advice is to not do anything at the last minute.  Sometimes the labs are full and it takes hours to get one. 

Understand what tasks need to be done with your computer. For example, of you are a video or graphic major, it's more then likely you will need to purchase a Mac or a PC with a very strong graphic card. The PC I owned when I attended Junior college was a Dell and I was very pleased with it. I used Roxio and Adobe to edit my videos, and used external hard drives for storage.

In my senior college, I purchased a Mac.  Mac computers are a little bit more money, but they are great investments. First, out the box you get iLife, which allows you to edit movies, manage your photos, create music, and burn DVD. They also have cameras in their laptop and iMacs, so you can iChat and video chat. That is a lot of power in a computer. Second, they have student discounts; just make sure your college qualifies. If you purchase your computer before September 7, 2010, you meet the requirements for get a free iPod touch 8Gb or use the value towards a larger capacity iPod for the value of that iPod. For example, is you want an iPod 64 GB for $400, then the final cost will be $200. There is also an option to get a free printer after rebate, so if you have the means to get a Mac, do so.

My favorite gadget to use a study tool is an iPod (iPhone or iPad.) They have great study applications that will make getting through college easier. My top applications for school is Cram, My Homework, and Flashcards. I have a terrible memory and it takes longer to retain information. Flashcards were an essential tool through successfully completing college.  I used paper index cards for the majority of my college experience, but the downside is that you have to carry huge stacks around.  The iPod touch had all my information compacted in a small device. I also used Cram to do quizzes throughout the year to test myself so that when midterms and final came, I was well prepared. Professors usually have papers, projects, and major test in the same timeframe.  Don’t make the mistake of trying to balance 4-5 classes by doing everything at the last minute. Take a few hours a day to concentrate on your schoolwork, and you will find that slow and steady wins the race. 

Below is my video post on this topic: